"No, no, no, I'll just sit over there!"
She was about to get up when Assistant Director Wang pressed her back down. "You're sitting in my seat, what are you afraid of! Just sit tight!"
Director Zhou glanced over. "You're not used to not having a stool, or do you need a monitor placed in front of you?"
"Director Zhou, you're really funny!" Xia Weiliang forced a smile. "Then I'll... be presumptuous."
Assistant Director Wang: "Presume! Presume away! Tonight, you're the daddy!"
Laughter could be vaguely heard from all around.
Yuan Ting's face turned pale, her hands gripping the tablecloth tightly, so angry her teeth were almost grinding to dust.
Xia Weiliang gave an awkward smile, her eyes never daring to glance next door.
Xiao Yi maintained a detached expression throughout, his eyes closed, his fingers playing with a lighter. Anyone could tell the acclaimed actor was in a bad mood today.
Director Zhou, being perceptive, didn't want to get on the wrong side of him and turned his attention to Xia Weiliang.
He leaned closer and whispered, "Did you have a fight?"
Xia Weiliang's body stiffened, and she instinctively shook her head. "How could I! He's my senior, I only respect elders!"
Beside them, the person playing with the lighter paused.
Director Zhou pouted. "Lie, keep lying."
Xiao Yi's face was so dark, he might as well have unfurled a banner announcing to the world that he was provoked!
Just then, someone started egging them on, finally bringing up the bet between Yuan Ting and Xia Weiliang.
"Sister Ting, you have to honor your bet!"
"That's right, Sister Ting, it's just calling someone 'Daddy'!"
"Go for it, Sister Ting, we support you!"
This group, who enjoyed stirring up trouble, kept chanting Yuan Ting's name.
Yuan Ting sat there, her head bowed, close to tears, occasionally looking up at Director Zhou and Xiao Yi with a wronged expression.
Only these two had the most authority present. If either of them spoke up to help her out, she definitely wouldn't have to call anyone "Daddy" today!
Shang Rongrong ate the salad in front of her, her lips curling in what seemed like a smirk.
She could afford to bet, but couldn't afford to lose.
It would be difficult for her to get by in the industry in the future.
Not only did Xiao Yi ignore her, but even Director Zhou seemed not to see her, continuing to eat and drink as usual. When his peripheral vision caught Xia Weiliang picking up a chicken leg, he intercepted it just as she was about to take a bite.
"You still have several scenes to reshoot, and you're eating so much! Do you want to tire out our post-production team?"
Xia Weiliang watched as the chicken leg landed in his bowl and pitifully picked up a stalk of greens.
When she looked up, Yuan Ting was already in front of her.
Was she going to acknowledge her "lineage" so quickly?
Xia Weiliang felt quite pleased and sat up straight, composing herself.
"Sister Wei~ I was wrong this afternoon. I shouldn't have made such a silly joke with you~"
Yuan Ting's voice was already syrupy, and when she deliberately softened it, the sweetness escalated by more than ten levels!
Xia Weiliang raised an eyebrow.
What was her meaning?
Was she trying to renege on the deal?
She just wanted to ask this... daughter, didn't her face hurt?
Xia Weiliang said nothing, just sat there watching her deliver her best performance ever.
"...Sister Wei, you know how low-key Director Zhou usually is. Please don't cause embarrassment to the crew because of the two of us and affect our reputation. That would be our fault."
This is ridiculous!
Cool Girl couldn't stand it anymore!
What do you mean?
You two met and insisted on a showdown, and even added "Daddy" as the stakes, and you didn't object back then!
Oh! Now you've lost, and you don't like it, and it's suddenly a silly joke again?
What were you doing before?
Yuan Ting spoke softly, so the people around didn't hear. They just assumed she was embarrassed and secretly went to call someone "Daddy," and no one kindly exposed her.
After all, she was a female celebrity, thin-skinned. It was already courageous of her to honor her bet.
At this moment, Xia Weiliang suddenly put down her chopsticks.
Beside her, Director Zhou glanced over, his lips pressed together, remaining silent, like a seasoned old fox.
Assistant Director Wang, the good friend of humanity and the foremost gossip, had already activated his brainwave detection radar, waiting to receive any gossip, not missing even a single punctuation mark!
"Yuan Ting, are you trying to go back on your word?"
Xia Weiliang didn't deliberately lower her voice.
This entire floor of the restaurant had been booked by the crew. The tables closest to them all turned their heads in unison, and those behind them also fell silent, craning their necks to watch the live drama.
What could be more exciting than a catfight between female celebrities?!
"I, I didn't..." Yuan Ting was a little flustered, not expecting Xia Weiliang to be so uncooperative!
"That's for the best."
Xia Weiliang's lips suddenly curved into a smile, her alluring eyes fixed on Yuan Ting without blinking.
"You don't have to feel wronged. If I had lost today, I'm afraid you would have already been sitting at the ancestral altar waiting for me to call you 'Daddy'."
"Pfft~"
Assistant Director Wang, sitting opposite and at the forefront of gossip, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Yuan Ting had never suffered such humiliation. Yet, that afternoon, no matter how much she pleaded with Director Zhou, or even hinted at him being able to proposition her, Director Zhou had consistently played dumb and ignored her!
To get this role, she had been anxious and had fought her way through, finally securing the role of the second female lead. Acting alongside the acclaimed actor and the powerful performers meant her resources would skyrocket, regardless of the film's success!
Therefore, she absolutely could not be dropped!
But...
She bit her lip, turned her back to the crowd, facing Xia Weiliang, and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Xia Weiliang, do you have to be so absolute?"
Xia Weiliang shrugged, smiling at her. "This is my first time being a Daddy too. If there's any lack of hospitality, please bear with me."
This was a popular catchphrase of hers from "Let's Challenge!", and her attitude explained everything. She was determined to fight this to the end!
"You—"
Yuan Ting gritted her teeth, her entire body trembling.
Xia Weiliang crossed her long legs elegantly, her hands resting on her knees, looking up at Yuan Ting.
Everyone's gaze was on Yuan Ting. Remembering her agent's warning that afternoon, she knew she had no choice.
Turning her face away, "Daddy..."
Her voice was not loud, filled with humiliation.
Xia Weiliang actually disdained this kind of person who dug their own grave, buried themselves, and then complained about their unjust demise.
"Good girl." Not to show mercy was her code of conduct.
Just as Yuan Ting was about to leave, Xia Weiliang called her back.
Xia Weiliang smiled and said, word by word, "The debt before 'Tomato Scrambled Eggs,' this 'Daddy' call settles it. However, if she continues to cause trouble, don't blame me for teaching her how to behave."
The "Tomato Scrambled Eggs," who was rumored to be an insider of the crew, had been under investigation by Mao Ge's studio until the core figure, Yuan Ting, was identified.
Originally, Xia Weiliang could have dismissed the bet with a laugh, but now, not even a missing vowel or consonant would suffice!
Yuan Ting's expression changed drastically. She turned back and returned to her seat. After only a few minutes, she excused herself, claiming to feel unwell, and went back to her room.
Xiao Yi's phone rang. After answering it, he quietly said something to Director Zhou, got up, and left.
Xia Weiliang poked at the peanuts in her dish, continuously pondering what might have angered the acclaimed actor.
"Little Wang, notify her company to terminate the contract."
Director Zhou suddenly spoke up in front of the entire table. Xia Weiliang was a little shocked, "No way, Director Zhou? You're... terminating the contract already?"
Hadn't she honored her bet?
Director Zhou, gnawing on a chicken leg, said unhurriedly, "The bet between you and her was your business. My terminating the contract with her is the crew's business with her."
Xia Weiliang stared at him blankly for a moment, then suddenly got up, pouring wine, serving dishes, and even occasionally coming behind him to rub his shoulders and pat his back, as if she were about to ask a waiter to apply cupping therapy.
"Let me tell you, don't give me this pretentious stuff... Ow, you're hurting my hand! You're using so much force, do you want to crush me?"
Her fawning was so obvious, but strangely, the other people in the crew didn't find it offensive. Instead, they quite admired the extremely disgusted yet unable-to-get-rid-of expression on Director Zhou's face.